Five bizarre instances of jockey misbehaviour

Controversial Danny Nikolic is back in the spotlight this week as he attempts to regain his riding licence. He’s not the first jockey to flaunt the rule book …

Dildo used in failed drug test

After getting acquainted with Mary Jane at a weekend party, Toowoomba jockey Jason Warrington got creative in his attempt to cheat a drug test. When stewards summoned him to provide a urine sample, Warrington - in his own words - “got hold of a device that would hold urine and got some urine from someone [I] knew wouldn’t be positive.” That “device” was a dildo, which was quickly discovered by suspicious stipe John Hackett. In the aftermath, Warrington described himself as a church person and said the incident brought great shame to his family … 🙈

The creative Jason Warrington.

The serial imposter

In 1998, Angel Jacobs stormed onto the British amateur scene with a skill-set that belied his lack of experience. It turns out Jacobs was no amateur at all, nor was he Angel Jacobs. Claiming the maximum 3.1kg allowance afforded to amateur jockeys, “Jacobs” rode five winners before it was discovered he’d had an extensive professional career in the US as “Angel Monserrate”. Monserrate, who'd been excluded in America for a failed drugs test, said he committed the con-job due to a "love of racing."

Angel wasn't quite as crafty as Leo in "Catch Me If You Can" ...

It wasn’t the first time Monserrate disguised his identity in the name of riding winners. After the drug ban prevented him from fulfilling his "love", the not-so-crafty conman showed up in New York as “Carlos Castro” – a name he pinched from a notable marathon runner. That ruse didn’t last long either and, one day after booting home a winner, he was hauled off the track in handcuffs on charges of criminal trespass and forgery.

You're pulling my leg!

Nobody could accuse Mel Schumacher of not giving his horse every possible chance! Approaching the finish of the '61 AJC Derby, Tommy Hill and Summer Fair pulled clear of Schumacher on Blue Era before Schumacher's mount fought back to win. The fiercely-competitive Schumacher had held Hill’s leg for 45 metres and, while he initially had plans to declare any challenge preposterous, the head-on camera verified his opponent’s subsequent protest. Schumacher was stood down from his remaining rides on the grounds he was banned for life (the sentence was later reduced to five years).

The head-on camera verified Hill's claim that Schumacher had tugged at his leg.

"There was 80,000 people there and you could have heard a pin drop. It was like a funeral ... my funeral."

Mel Schumacher, 2008

Sly's foggy victory

Punters were baffled when $24 shot Landing Officer won by 24L in the US in the early 90s. Quick-thinking jockey Sylvester Carmouche had taken advantage of foggy conditions, allowing his rivals to gallop into a cloud while he sat idly within striking distance of the winning post. When he heard his opponents coming, ‘Sly’ kicked the outsider into gear and strolled home for the softest of wins. Puzzled that they hadn’t seen Landing Officer pass them, two riders lodged a protest. The video - due to the heavy fog - was inconclusive but a post-race vet exam revealed the horse was breathing comfortably and his legs were suspiciously clean. Sneaky Sly copped a 10-year ban for his hijinks.

Perhaps Carmouche got a bit too greedy with the margin!

Brawling, peeping Eriluis Vaz

Noted bad boy Eriluis Vaz tooks his gripes with a rival rider next level when he let his fists fly mid-race at Philadelphia Park in 2010. As can be seen in the video below, Vaz is quite the exponent of the jab-whip combo! A 200-day suspension followed.

A couple of years later Vaz was ejected from the same track when he made not one, not two, but three trips into the female jockeys’ room while a rider was showering. His actions resulted in an "indefinite suspension" and a lawsuit from the jockey he made (clearly unwanted) advances towards. Quite the rap sheet!